Manitoba Public Insurance Employees Strike, Disputing Wage Offer
Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) employees are preparing to go on strike as negotiations between the public insurer and the Manitoba General Employees Union (MGEU) have broken down. Last week, talks reached an impasse, leading to the decision by 1,700 MPI employees who are MGEU members to walk off the job starting Monday.
The strike, which will affect various positions including estimators, adjusters, call center workers, and service center representatives, is a province-wide endeavor organized by the MGEU. Despite claims made by MPI that they offered a deal with a 17 percent total monetary value, MGEU President Kyle Ross has argued that this number is misleading and that the offer falls short of meeting the employees’ demands.
Ross claims that the current offer proposed by MPI is an eight percent wage increase over a four-year period, which he believes is inadequate. It gives 53 percent of our members a fair deal…we’re looking for a deal that helps all our members, he stated.
As the strike begins, some services offered by MPI will remain available. The contact center will continue to be operational for personal injury claims, non-drivable collision claims, and total-theft claims. Non-contentious collision claims will be referred directly to MPI-accredited repair shops for vehicle estimates and repairs. Front-end service transactions will be directed to private insurance brokers, including insurance and license renewals, as well as the purchase of new insurance plans.
However, certain services will be temporarily suspended. Driver testing will be put on hold, but MPI assures that it will resume as soon as possible by utilizing contracted service providers. On the other hand, essential services such as income replacement payments for personal injury claimants will continue without interruption. Additionally, MPI confirms that all existing Autopac policies and driver’s licenses will remain valid throughout the strike period.
The strike by Manitoba Public Insurance employees marks another labor conflict in the province. It comes on the heels of the recently resolved strike by public school teachers, highlighting the current climate of labor disputes in Manitoba. As both sides stand firm on their respective positions, it remains to be seen how negotiations will progress and whether a resolution can be reached to end the strike and address the concerns of the striking employees.
